Social icons

NARS Haulin'

Hurray! NARS is back! After many years of impatient waiting
the brand has finally decided to give the UAE a second chance and a fully
stocked stand now sits proudly in Sephora Mall of the Emirates.

Obviously such news triggered purposeful marching into store
to finger the rubbery-packaged goodness and wouldn’t you know a little purchase
was made as a result! I think I got a little over-excited….

The Eyeshadows

There are still a few of these Dual Intensity shadows that I
want – specifically Himalia, Desdemona and, following an Instagram
recommendation, Subra – but for now I picked up Phoebe (right) and Giove.

Do you want the good news or the bad news? Well, the good
news is that Giove is a deep navy-indigo shadow that looks good dry and great
wet. I had spied this online before and umm’d and aaah’d about it but I needn’t
have hesitated. It is spectacular.

Phoebe however, is a little insipid and a little
disappointing. I point my finger at the Sephora lights. Those bright bulbs gave
a warmer undertone to the shadow in store but when swiped dry across my lid all
I got was a weak lavender. I wore it yesterday (with Giove as liner and a bit
of MAC Corduroy on the outer corner) but it didn’t make me happy.

All is not
lost though, I tried this wet today, swatching it on my hand and I think this
is the format that brings out the true tone. I live in hope!

The lip products

I spent a ridiculous amount of time looking at the Audacious
lipsticks but in the end the shade I wanted (a nude – duh!) was out of stock. I
plumped for Natalie because this, along with a few others, was the only one
that seemed to stand out.It’s a bright
Flamingo but very wearable thanks to the creamy, rich finish of the line.

There
is no doubt that the texture of the Audacious is a good one but there is also no question that
the price has been DRAMATICALLY inflated for this market. We pay 160AED per
lipstick – that’s $43 a-piece whereas in the US they are closer to $32. Sorry,
but at that price I’d rather go to Tom Ford.

Obviously my grudge against price didn’t extend so far as to
prohibit any more lip product purchases. I got the Super Orgasm lip-gloss and
it’s a stunner. I like wearing this on it’s own and over nude lipsticks because
it adds a little punch and warmth to the colour.

The foundation

The last purchase made was Sheer Glow (shade Punjab). I
first tried this when it came out nearly 4 years ago and I loved it then. It
was always a good dependable choice. Okay, so the name is incredibly misleading
(it’s neither sheer nor glowy) but this was a good medium-coverage foundation
that offered decent longevity and most importantly, made me feel good about my
skin.

After road testing it yesterday I will say this: it’s okay.

shrugs

Would I tell you now that you NEED to buy this? Absolutely
not. Either my tastes have changed or foundation technology has evolved since
it’s initial release and what seemed like a great product once upon a time no
longer feels at all innovative or interesting.

It still looks okay. It’s still easy to blend. It still
lasts a decent amount of time but if you asked me to choose between this,
Clarins Extra Comfort, Laura Mercier Silk Crème, Chantecaille Just Skin or my
current foundation crush of Dior Star mixed with MUFE HD I would say
no-friggin-way.

I’d be interested to hear what you think about Sheer Glow? I
know it still has many fans but I also know that it probably as just as many
rejectors! Let me know!

I'm excited that Nars is back in the UAE. It's nice to know that now i don't have to stock up and hoard everytime i go back to the UK! I haven't checked if Abu Dhabi Sephoras have the brand but i'm guessing they must do so a little weekend shop is in order!

I'm a Sheer Glow fan. I ADORE Nars bases because they are one of the only brands that do my undertone perfectly. Also, Sheer glow is fragrance free, has decent coverage and still looks natural. I actually just repurchased a bottle. Will it put out the garbage? Hell no. But for certain occasions it's an eesential part of my line-up.My current go-to is Nars Tinted Moisturiser in Stromboli with Luminous Powder Foundation in Stromboli as a setting powder and for some extra coverage. I like this even better than Sheer Glow :).

Its a shame you aren't so keen on the Phoebe shade. it is always disappointing when something looks amazing in the pot but doesn't come out as good. I have had many products like this. The lip gloss looks amazing though!! :)

Oh such fabulous goodies! Love the eyes! I never got on with Nars Sheer Glow no matter how much I tried. It just went super chalky on me to the point where my bf said my skin look grainy! Yikes! xoxox Shaz

NARS is one of only a handful of brands that make a foundation shade that doesn't require me to mix with a white to get something light enough for my super-pale skin. (In Sheer Glow, I wear Siberia.)

That said, I'm a bit mixed about SG. While the colour matches me fairly well, and it looks decent enough on me, and the coverage is good, you have to spend another $6 USD to get a pump for it, and the only way to apply it that actually works is the way they suggest (rub product in between your fingers and stipple it on).

I'm a bit like Goldilocks in regards to foundation; I've yet to find one that's "just right".

I was doing the same last Saturday-playing with NARS products in London. I fell in love with their Audacious lipsticks and also bought their trusty Velvet Matt Lip Crayon. Never tried their foundation though.

I definitely still love sheer glow! I love the finish it gives on my skin and the shade I have is perfect for me (I always struggle to get a good shade match with foundations) Love how Giove looks as a liner!!

Wow your eyes look so lovely in this post! I'm so used to seeing you rock all the nude shades but this flash of blue really suits you. Even though you weren't too keen on Phoebe I think it goes really well paired with the blue :)

I LOVE wearing Super Orgasm over nude lipsticks! I'm itching to get my hands on an audacious lipstick but I've heard the color range is so great it's a little overwhelming - so I may hold off until I have a "Oh I really need a good ______ lipstick" epiphany.

you should check out this post by jaa on phoebe, where she wears it with dual intensity. looks awesome tough yes, definitely not a warm color.http://www.hellojaa.com/reviews/nars-dual-intensity-eyeshadow/